Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State to Play in 2008 New Mexico Bowl
12/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 4, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - With nine invitations in the last 10 years, the Fresno State Bulldogs have made playing in a bowl game a habit.
The Bulldogs have been invited to play in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008 at University Stadium in Albuquerque. Fresno State will play a team from the Mountain West Conference. This is the first game of the 2008 bowl season and will be televised on ESPN.
Fresno State will be making its 21st appearance in a college football bowl game. Of all teams competing in bowl games this season, Fresno State is one of 17 schools that have been in a bowl game in nine of the last 10 seasons.
New Mexico Bowl III is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PT and will be televised live in HD on ESPN. San Jose State defeated New Mexico in the first New Mexico Bowl and the Lobos shutout Nevada 23-0 last season.
The Bulldogs finished the 2008 regular season with a 7-5 record, which included wins over BCS schools Rutgers and UCLA. Fresno State has 14 wins over schools from BCS conferences since 2000, tied with Utah for most of any non-BCS team.
Under Pat Hill, the Dogs have made 61 national television appearances this decade and rank fifth among programs in the west (including schools from the WAC, Pac-10 and MWC) for most wins with 73. Only Boise State, USC, Utah and Oregon have more victories.
Fresno State will play a Mountain West Conference team in a bowl for the third time. The Bulldogs lost to Utah 17-16 in the 1999 Las Vegas Bowl and to Air Force 37-34 in the 2000 Silicon Valley Football Classic. The Bulldogs have an all-time record of 4-4 against Mountain West Conference schools. The Mountain West Conference team for the New Mexico Bowl is expected to be announced Sunday.
"We are excited to take Bulldog football back to Albuquerque," said head coach Pat Hill, who has guided the Dogs to four bowl wins on their last five games. "For Fresno State to play a Mountain West Conference school in a bowl game is good for football in the West. Our first two bowl games in 1999 and 2000 were both great games against Mountain West schools. We lost two close, exciting games. Our players are looking forward to finishing this season on a good note and winning a bowl game would be a great accomplishment for the seniors and a good place to start building for the 2009 season."
The Bulldogs have not played in Albuquerque since 1998, a 28-20 win over New Mexico. The Bulldogs own an 11-3 record all-time in games played in the state of New Mexico (against New Mexico and New Mexico State).
All ticket orders will be taken through the Bulldog Ticket Office beginning online Friday morning (Dec. 5) at www.gobulldogs.com or at the Bulldog Ticket Office located at the south entrance of Bulldog Stadium or via phone at (559) 278-3647.
Bulldog Foundation Members and season ticket holders will be granted first priority based on their 2008 donation level. To inquire about donating or joining the BDF, please contact the Bulldog Foundation at (559) 244-5600.
Bulldog fans are urged to support the Fresno State Athletics Department by ordering all tickets through the Bulldog Ticket Office. Tickets for the New Mexico Bowl are $30 each.
Bulldog fans wishing to support the bowl but can't attend the game can purchase tickets that will be donated to one of 200 charitable organizations in the Albuquerque area. For each of those donations, the Fresno State athletics department will donate two tickets for a Bulldog men's basketball home game to the Fresno Police Athletic League.
The Travel Shoppe, Fresno State's official fan travel provider, will offer a variety of travel packages for fans. Please call (559) 447-5767 for details.
Join the State - Fresno State! -- Fans are encouraged to check www.gobulldogs.com for information regarding the New Mexico Bowl, including ticket, travel and hotel accommodations.
For information on the New Mexico Bowl, please check out the web site: www.newmexicobowl.com.
